Muthu Coomaraswamy

After finishing school Coomaraswamy joined the Ceylon Civil Service as a cadet at the Colombo Kachcheri.^[2][4] He was appointed police magistrate and was known as the "boy magistrate".^[7] He resigned from the civil service after a short period.^[2][7] He joined the legal profession as an apprentice under Richard Morgan.^[2] He was called to the bar at the age of 22.^[1]

Coomaraswamy was appointed to the Legislative Council of Ceylon in 1862 as the unofficial member representing Tamils, replacing V. Edirmannasingham.^[2] He served on the Legislative Council until his death in 1879.^[1][2] He was a member of Colombo Municipal Council from March 1868 to February 1873.^[8]

Coomaraswamy went on a tour of Europe in 1862 during which he was admitted as a member of Lincoln's Inn on 10 July 1862, the first non-Christian/Jew to be done so.^[1][3][9] He practised law in London.^[10] His English translation of the Tamil play Harischandra (Martyr of Truth) was published in 1863.^[1] Coomaraswamy took on the leading role when the play was performed in front of Queen Victoria on 8 December 1863.^[1][11] He was elected an honorary member of the Royal Society of Arts and was a fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and the Geological Society of London.^[12] He was also a member of the Athenaeum Club.^[12]

After returning to Ceylon Coomaraswamy resumed practising law at the Colombo Bar.^[13] He undertook research into oriental folklore before going on a tour of India.^[1] His translation of the Pali text Datavamsa, the story of the Sacred Tooth Relic, and Sutti Nipaata, the discourses of the Buddha, were published in 1874.^[1]

In 1878 Coomaraswamy became the first Tamil knight after being made a knight of the Order of St Michael and St George by Queen Victoria at Osborne House.^{[1][3][14][15]} He died on 4 May 1879 of Bright's disease whilst preparing for another tour of England.^[1][16]